On Tue, 28 Jan 2003 19:58:46 +0000, george wrote:

i have a supply of some good smelling compost made from leaves
is this usefull for potting on some delphinium seedlings?
what else is it usefull for.
i am not sure if it has any nutritional value .
and where it can be best applied in my garden


If you want to mix your own potting compost you could make peat free
John Innes. In the original specification the originators recomended
either peat or leaf mould
For seed compost use:
2 parts by bulk medium loam
1 " " " peat or leaf mould
1 " " " coarse sand

For porring compost use:
7 parts by bulk medium loam
3 " " " peat or leaf mould
2 " " " coarse sand

To each of these should be added chalk and fertilizer.

The original spec for the fertilizer was:
2parts by weight hoof and horn
2 " " " superphosphate of lime
1 " " " sulphate of potash

This gives an analysis of N5.1 P 6.4 K 9.7

For seed compost you should add 1lb of chalk and 2 lbs of the
fertilizer mix per cubic yard
For normal potting compost you should add 1 lb of chalk and 5 lbs of
fertilizer mix per cubic yard.

The loam and leaf mould should be sterilized before mixing.
For calcifuge plants omit the chalk.

--
Pete The Gardener
A room without books is like a body without a soul.